Goodman Manufacturing Co. Announce Changes to 1998 Recall

NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2009
Release #09-323 Firm’s Recall Hotline: (800) 394-8084
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

CPSC, Goodman Manufacturing Co. Announce Changes to 1998 Recall Program to Replace Dangerous Home Heating Vent Pipes
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The CPSC and Goodman Manufacturing Company, of Houston, TX, are urging consumers who have not yet responded to the previously-announced 1998 recall to do so immediately. After October 1, 2009, the remedy consumers receive will change to be identical to modifications recently announced for a related recall.

The recall included about 10,000 Plexvent and Ultravent HTPV pipe systems attached to certain Goodman mid-efficiency furnaces manufactured from October 1988 to July 1994 (models GUP, GDP, GUPS, GDPS, GUPI, GDPI, GUPX, GDPX, GMP and GMPV for the following brands manufactured by Goodman: Janitrol, GMC, Hamilton Electric, Franklin, Liberty and Sears/Kenmore). The HTPV pipe used for these vents could be susceptible to corrosion, cracking and joint separation, which could result in the release of carbon monoxide (CO) into living areas, posing a danger to consumers. Goodman did not manufacture the HTPV pipe.

The following table describes the different remedies available to consumers with qualifying furnaces that use the two leading brands of HTPV pipe – Plexvent and Ultravent.

Plexvent owners Ultravent owners
Valid claims initiated on or before October 1, 2009, with remediation completed and required documentation submitted by January 1, 2010. Will receive
a new, professionally-installed venting system free of charge
or
a new, high-efficiency Goodman furnace and suitable vent for the manufacturer’s price (of just the furnace), with no charge for labor, associated materials or dealer markup.

Valid claims initiated after October 1, 2009 A rebate up to $400 toward either an HTPV replacement system, or a new, high-efficiency furnace from Goodman that does not require HTPV. A rebate up to $250 toward either an HTPV replacement system, or a new, high-efficiency furnace from Goodman that does not require HTPV.

Consumers who register after October 1, 2009 and who choose to repair their systems will be responsible for up-front payment of parts, labor and permits, and will be responsible for arranging to have the work performed.

Consumers should determine whether they have a recalled HTPV pipe system by checking the vent pipes attached to their natural gas furnace. Vent pipes subject to this recall can be identified as follows:

the vent pipes are plastic;

the vent pipes are colored gray or black;

“Plexvent,” “Plexvent II” or “Ultravent” is stamped on the vent pipe or printed on stickers placed on pieces used to connect the vent pipes; and

the vent pipes are located on furnaces and the pipes go through the sidewalls of structures.
Other plastic vent pipes, such as white PVC, are not included in the recall.

Owners of Goodman furnaces that are vented with HTPV pipe should immediately call Goodman at (800) 394-8084 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday. CPSC reminds all consumers to have fuel-burning appliances professionally inspected each year to check for cracks or separations in the vents that could allow CO to leak into the home. In addition, CPSC recommends that every home should have at least one CO alarm.

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

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Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

Improper Sump Pump Discharge

I was inspecting a 20yr old house last week and when I entered the home I could smell sewer gases, I thought because the house was vacant for 6 months that it just needed to be aired out. Upon entering the basement I found that the sump pump was dicharged into the main sewer line. This is a big problem for several reasons. 1) The sewer gasses entering the home can make the occupants sick or worse because the gases could contain methan. 2) This is the lowest point so if the sewer line backs up it is heading straight for the sump pump and the the basement floor. It may not back up if there is a back check valve installed, And in this case they did not have one installed. As you see in the picture the home owner removed the clean out cap to allow for the discharge hose, Then they shoved a rag around the discharge pipe to help prevent the odor from entering the home, However that did not work. I was very puzzled by this set up because there is a hole in the foundation wall from the builder to allow for exterior drainage of the sump pump.

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I want to thank you

I want to thank you for the inspection you completed on my soon to be home. You made the process very easy and I felt comfortable with you and your company. I would refer everyone I know to you that needs an inspection. Thanks again for everything.

Melissa R
Newark, DE

Hagley Museum Antique Car Show

Hundreds of cars on the general show field will reflect the variety of makes and models that are a part of automotive history. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission was $12 for a family, $5 for adults, $3 for children 6 to 14, free for children under 6. This year they are reduced but they aren’t publishing them. Parking for the show is at the DuPont Company’s Barley Mill Plaza at the intersection of Routes 141 and 48 with shuttle bus service to Hagley.

 

 

 

 

 

Longwood Gardens Fireworks and Fountains

Fireworks and Fountains – Aug 8 SOLD OUT

 

Fireworks, fountains, and music illuminate the night sky on these magical summer evenings.

Khachaturian Cavalcade on
September 6
Featuring the music of Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978), the show includes the tuneful Mazurka, Nocturne, Waltz, Romance, and Gallop from 1941 play Masquerade.

The Adagio from the 1956 ballet Spartacus is intensely lyrical, while the well-known Sabre Dance, Dance of the Rose Maidens, and Lezghinka from 1939’s ballet Gayaneh bring the show to a memorable conclusion filled with folk rhythms and pulsing energy.

Abbacadabra: The Magic of ABBA on
August 8 & September 19
This exciting new program marks a first for Longwood’s fireworks by using all pop vocals.  The show starts with a salute to the disco era with Dancing Queen, Knowing Me, Knowing You, and Take a Chance on Me. 

Then the show moves into the present with a high-energy rendition of The Visitors, a quieter Name of the Game, and a throbbing Waterloo for an unforgettable finale.

Tickets

Ages 16 & over: $34/Passholders: $27
Ages 15 & under: $18/Passholders: $12

Buy tickets online or by calling 610-388-1000 ext. 100.
For the best viewing experience, please plan to bring a lawn or camping chair. Find out more about using your chair to reserve a spot for the Fireworks display.

Don’t miss our popular Fireworks BBQ, the perfect pre-show, summer meal.

How does a GFCI outlet work?

That outlet is called a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). It’s there to protect people from electrical shock, so it is completely different from a fuse.

The question on appliance plugs talks about fuses. The idea behind a fuse is to protect a house from an electrical fire. If the hot wire were to accidentally touch the neutral wire for some reason (say, because a mouse chews through the insulation, or someone drives a­ nail through the wire while hanging a picture, or the vacuum cleaner sucks up an outlet cord and cuts it), an incredible amount of current will flow through the circuit and start heating it up like one of the coils in a toaster. The fuse heats up faster than the wire and burns out before the wire can start a fire.

A GFCI is much more subtle. When you look at a normal 120-volt outlet in the United States, there are two vertical slots and then a round hole centered below them. The left slot is slightly larger than the right. The left slot is called “neutral,” the right slot is called “hot” and the hole below them is called “ground.” If an appliance is working properly, all electricity that the appliance uses will flow from hot to neutral. A GFCI monitors the amount of current flowing from hot to neutral. If there is any imbalance, it trips the circuit. It is able to sense a mismatch as small as 4 or 5 milliamps, and it can react as quickly as one-thirtieth of a second.

So let’s say you are outside with your power drill and it is raining. You are standing on the ground, and since the drill is wet there is a path from the hot wire inside the drill through you to ground (see How Power Distribution Grids Work for details on grounding). If electricity flows from hot to ground through you, it could be fatal. The GFCI can sense the current flowing through you because not all of the current is flowing from hot to neutral as it expects — some of it is flowing through you to ground. As soon as the GFCI senses that, it trips the circuit and cuts off the electricity.

“How does a GFCI outlet work?.” 01 April 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. 03 August 2009.

Yeah, having closed on the house is a great feeling.

Yeah, having closed on the house is a great feeling. We’re living here now working on gutters, hardwood floors and getting the dryer fixed while battling a small ant onslaught in the kitchen. We really appreciated your inspection and advice.

Greg